How Earnings Are Calculated
Your earnings come from downloads. Every time someone downloads one of your shared files, you earn a small amount. Those small amounts add up — especially when you’re getting thousands of downloads.
Here’s exactly how the math works.
The CPM model
Section titled “The CPM model”CPM stands for “cost per mille” (mille = thousand). Your earnings are expressed as a dollar amount per 1,000 downloads.
The formula for a single download is:
Earning = (Base CPM / 1000) x Performance Multiplier x Device Multiplier + Large File BonusLet’s break down each piece.
Country-based rates
Section titled “Country-based rates”Not all downloads are worth the same. The base CPM rate depends on where the person downloading your file is located. GolemDrive supports 47 countries plus a default fallback for unlisted locations.
Top 10 countries by base CPM
Section titled “Top 10 countries by base CPM”| Country | Code | Base CPM |
|---|---|---|
| United States | US | $5.00 |
| United Kingdom | GB | $4.50 |
| Canada | CA | $4.00 |
| Australia | AU | $3.80 |
| Germany | DE | $3.50 |
| France | FR | $3.40 |
| Japan | JP | $3.30 |
| Netherlands | NL | $3.20 |
| Sweden | SE | $3.10 |
| Norway | NO | $3.00 |
These are the base rates. The actual amount you receive depends on the multipliers described below.
Country tiers
Section titled “Country tiers”Countries are grouped into two tiers:
Tier 1 (21 countries): US, GB, CA, AU, DE, FR, JP, NL, SE, NO, DK, CH, FI, AT, BE, NZ, SG, HK, IE, IT, ES
Tier 1 countries receive a 7.0x full-rate multiplier when the downloader has a paid GolemDrive plan. This is the premium rate — when a paying customer downloads your file from a Tier 1 country, you earn significantly more.
Tier 2 (26 countries): ES through AE, including South Korea, Taiwan, Israel, UAE, and various European countries
Default (all other countries): A base CPM of $0.10 with a 0.5x multiplier
Paid vs. free downloaders
Section titled “Paid vs. free downloaders”The rate difference is significant:
| Downloader type | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Paid plan user (Professional, Premium, Max) | 7.0x (full rate) |
| Free plan user | 0.5x (low rate) |
For the United States, that means:
- Paid user download: $5.00 x 7.0 = $35.00 CPM (or $0.035 per download)
- Free user download: $5.00 x 0.5 = $2.50 CPM (or $0.0025 per download)
This is why the performance multiplier matters — partners whose downloaders convert to paid plans earn dramatically more.
Performance multiplier
Section titled “Performance multiplier”Your performance multiplier is based on how many of your downloaders end up purchasing a paid GolemDrive plan. It’s measured as paid sales per 1,000 cumulative lifetime downloads.
| Paid sales per 1,000 downloads | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| 5 or more | 1.0x (full rate) |
| 3 to 4 | 0.7x |
| 0 to 2 | 0.5x |
A few important details:
- This is calculated over your entire lifetime as a partner, not a rolling window. Your total paid sales divided by your total downloads (in thousands).
- If you have fewer than 1,000 total downloads, you default to the 0.5x tier because there isn’t enough data yet.
- “Paid sales” means distinct users who downloaded your files and later upgraded to a paid GolemDrive plan.
The performance multiplier rewards partners who attract users likely to become paying customers. It’s GolemDrive’s way of sharing the value you create.
Device multiplier
Section titled “Device multiplier”The device the downloader uses also affects your rate:
| Device | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Desktop | 1.0x |
| Mobile | 0.8x |
Desktop downloads are worth slightly more than mobile downloads.
Large file bonus
Section titled “Large file bonus”If the downloaded file is larger than 100 MB, you receive a +10% bonus on that download’s earnings. This compensates for the extra bandwidth your large files require.
Worked example
Section titled “Worked example”Let’s walk through a real calculation step by step.
Scenario: A paid-plan user in the United States downloads your 150 MB file from a desktop computer. You have a 0.7x performance multiplier (3-4 paid sales per 1,000 downloads).
Step 1: Base CPM for the US Base CPM = $5.00
Step 2: Apply the paid-user rate The downloader is a paid user, so the full-rate multiplier of 7.0x applies. Effective CPM = $5.00 x 7.0 = $35.00
Step 3: Per-download base amount Base amount per download = $35.00 / 1,000 = $0.0350
Step 4: Apply performance multiplier Your performance multiplier is 0.7x. After performance = $0.0350 x 0.7 = $0.0245
Step 5: Apply device multiplier Desktop = 1.0x (no change). After device = $0.0245 x 1.0 = $0.0245
Step 6: Large file bonus The file is 150 MB, which is over 100 MB, so you get +10%. Bonus = $0.0245 x 0.10 = $0.00245 Total = $0.0245 + $0.00245 = $0.02695
Per download, you earned about $0.027. At 1,000 downloads under these same conditions, that’s $26.95.
Comparison: free user from a Tier 2 country
Section titled “Comparison: free user from a Tier 2 country”Same file, but a free-plan user from Poland (base CPM $1.70) on mobile with the same 0.7x performance:
- Effective CPM: $1.70 x 0.5 (free user) = $0.85
- Per download: $0.85 / 1,000 = $0.00085
- Performance: $0.00085 x 0.7 = $0.000595
- Device: $0.000595 x 0.8 = $0.000476
- Large file bonus (+10%): $0.000476 x 1.10 = $0.000524
At 1,000 downloads: $0.52. The difference between a paid US desktop user and a free Polish mobile user is roughly 50x.
What does NOT earn money
Section titled “What does NOT earn money”To be clear about what doesn’t generate earnings:
- Page views — visiting a share link page without downloading
- Folder browsing — navigating through shared folders
- Social followers — people following your creator profile
- Share link views — someone opening your share link but not downloading
- Preview/streaming — viewing a file preview in the browser
- Your own downloads — downloading your own files never counts
Only completed file downloads by other users generate earnings.
Where to see your rates
Section titled “Where to see your rates”Your current CPM rates, multipliers, and per-download earnings are visible in the Partner Dashboard. You can break them down by country, time period, and individual file.